Types of Societies

1. Types of Societies 4.3

2. Introduction • Role behavior often takes place in a group • Group: set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who possess some degree of common identity • Largest and most complex are societies • Classified according to subsistence strategies: the way a society uses technology to provide for the needs of its members

3. Preindustrial Societies • Preindustrial Societies: • Food production: through human and animal labor – is the main economic activity • Divided between their levels of technology and methods for food gathering • Subdivisions: hunting and gathering, pastoral, horticultural and agricultural

4. Hunting and Gathering • Hunting and Gathering: • Daily collection of plants and hunting of wild animals • Move around in search of food • Do not build permanent settlements • Need for mobility limits the size of population • Fewer than 60 people • Statuses within group are relative equal • Decisions reached through general agreement • Family forms the social unit • Requires the family to carry out most social functions- production and labor

5. Pastoral Society • Pastoral Society: • Rely on domesticated animals to meet food needs • Nomadic life- herds from pasture to pasture • Can support larger populations • Division of labor: -how work is divided- is much more complex • Craft workers, jewelry makers, etc • Production of goods encourage trade • Creates inequalities among families: some have more goods than others • Acquire power with wealth of goods • Passing on property from one generation to the next maintains and stabilizes power • Hereditary chieftainship: typical form of government

6. Horticultural Society • Horticultural Societies: • Fruits and vegetables grown on garden plots • Technology and complexity similar to pastoral societies • Rotating plots they can occupy an area over a long period of time • Semi permanent or permanent settlements (30-2000 people) • More complex division of labor • Specialized roles: crafts people, shamans or religious leaders, and traders • Create wide variety of artifacts • Inequalities in wealth and power • Hereditary chieftains • Economic and political systems are more developed- more settled way of life

7. Agricultural Society • Agricultural Societies: • Animals used to plow fields • Technological innovation allows for plating of crops than possible when human labor is used • Irrigation • Terracing: cutting of fields into sides of hills • Support large populations • Specialized roles: • Leads to cities • Power often falls into one or a few individuals • Hereditary monarchy • Powerful armies

8. Agricultural Society • Construct roads; increase trade with sufficient transportation • Abandon barter system- exchange of good or service • Develop system of writing; keep records • Sharp status difference first arise: landowners or peasants • Landowners: power and wealth • Peasants: do all the work

9. Industrial Societies • Industrial Societies: emphasis shifts from food production to the production of manufactured goods • Made possible by changes in production methods • Preindustrial: animal human labor; small and slow • Industrial: Machines; a lot and fast • Increases the amount of food produced, increases population size • Reduces the demand for agricultural laborers • Size of the workforce increases as new technologies make it possible to produce a wider variety of goods

10. Industrial Societies • Location of work changes: from home settings to factories • Factories built in cities- people move to the cities • Urbanization: concentration of population in a city • Nature of work changes- from specialized of whole product to a series of specialization and different people perform different tasks • Increase productivity • Reduces the level of skill and create boredom

11. Industrial Societies • Changes the role of various social institutions: • Preindustrial: family is primary; production and education is family responsibility • Industrial: production and education take pace outside of the home; need for mass literacy creates need for programs of mass education systems • Religion: scientific ideas challenge religious beliefs • Brings people more freedom to compete for social positions • Preindustrial: ascribed statuses • Industrial: achieved; more control over their social position in the social structure

12. Postindustrial Societies • Postindustrial Societies: economy is involved in providing and information and services • United States and Western Europe • 73% of the workforce in U.S.; 2% agricultural and 25% in production of goods • Social changes: • Standard of living and quality of life improve as wages increase • Place strong emphasis on science and education • Technological advances are key to future prosperity • Rights of individuals and search for personal self fulfillment take added importance • Strong emphasis on social equality and democracy

13. Contrasting Societies • Contrasting Societies: • Mechanical solidarity: Durkheim- preindustrial societies held together • perform the same tasks, share the same values, become united in a common whole • Organic solidarity: Division of labor becomes more complex • impersonal social relationships that arise with increased job specialization, individuals can no longer provide for their own needs • Become more dependant on other individuals for aspects of their survival • Social relationships based on needs than values

14. Contrasting Societies • German sociologist: Ferdinand Tonnes • Two Ideal Types of societies based on social structure of social relationships and the degree of valued shared among societal members • Gemeinschaft: “community” • Most members know one another • Relationships are close • Activities center around the family and the community • Share a strong sense of group solidarity • Preindustrial village or rural society

15. Contrasting Societies • Gesellschaft: “society” • Social relationships based on need; impersonal and often temporary • Traditional values are often weak • Individual goals more important than the groups • Modern urban society in United States